


And it fades with time

by Nilysil



Series: The Sky Comes for Those Who Wait [2]
Category: Brigadoon: Marin & Melan
Genre: F/F, Female/Female relationships, Gen, Genetic Engineering, Happy Old Ladies, Old Age, Older!Marin, Past Character Death, Reverse Engineering Monomakia, time lapse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 18:58:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5138918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nilysil/pseuds/Nilysil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People change, especially after 48 years. Some change more than others.<br/>People pass on, the world changes; all they can do is move forward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And it fades with time

From her spot beneath a plastic awning outside a small café Marin watches people pass with their umbrellas held to the grey sky above. A few vehicles that drive along the narrow side street kick up puddles collected around the cracks in the asphalt, only making small splashes to the sidewalk; after all it was just a light shower. Even though it was a light rain the musk of wet cement and smoldering charcoal still clings to the air - light wisps of burning charcoal trailing out of the kitchen at the back of the café. She takes a slow sip of her drink, a cup more filled with ice than the strawberry lemonade she ordered, and reaches for her bag with one hand.

It sat off on her right on the ledge of one of the café's windows, sadly slouched against the glass with small tears and patches here and there. From it she pulls out her phone, taps a button, and the display reads off the time; 11:28.

"She should be here soon," Marin mentions to herself, tossing the phone back into the bag.

Off on her left, on top of the metal mesh table with chipping yellow paint, rested her drink and a large knife.

From the styrofoam container sitting in her lap she forks out pieces of lettuce, red cabbage, and other vegetable shreds. She stares idly out to the street at nothing in particular, taking her time to finish each bite of the hearty salad. Every so often she catches those that stare at the large knife laying out at beside her - clearly not meant for a salad or any other food needs. But to each person she gives a smile and a wave.

None ask about it.

When there is no one to pass the café Marin watches the leaves of the surrounding trees as they quake in each gust of the late spring breeze. A scarlet ribbon, well tied to the base of her high ponytail, lazily flaps in the wind, as well as the loose fringe that frames her face and the thin-framed glasses - the robust deep blue contrasting against her aging skin.

She scrapes more of the remaining salad out of the styrofoam container, keeping her focus to the people passing by. An older teen in short jeans and tank top walking a bulky foreign breed dog. A group of kids talking among themselves between splashing each other with the small puddles. An old man, foreign, with brown hair and holding an English to Japanese handbook walking down the street. A pair of teenage girls dressed in bright colors and wearing many small trinkets gossip among themselves. When there is little more than a few bits of sauce left and a few shreds of vegetables she turns her sights to the container in her lap, scrapping the remains into one corner and finishing it all off. When there is nothing left she lays it down on the metal mesh table beside the cup, and picks the knife up in exchange.

The brilliant gold of the blade reflects the dull tinted black and blue handle and the notch made in the handle near the blade. A piece of fabric looped through the top of the handle and notch, the fabric tattered and worn by time. Along the bottom of the handle and through the bottom part of the notch a small charm dangles. Marin holds it close to her chest and leans back on the chair.

"Ms. Asagi?"

On the other side of the railing stood a young woman, her black hair docked short and wearing a solid maroon t-shirt. "Good evening, Dauna, have a seat." Marin motions to the second seat for the metal mesh table, one close to the railing outside the café. Dauna steps over the railing with ease, holding a small purse close to her side.

"Sorry I'm late, missed my first bus." The younger woman brushed aside small droplets that clung to the chair before sitting down.

"Did Jess say anything to you?"

"Oh, yeah," Dauna fishes out her phone from her purse, "she's busy with her family, so she can't come today." She sets her phone down on her side of the table.

"How's her mother doing?" Marin places the knife down on the table, picks up the remains of her lunch, and drops them into a nearby trash bin.

"Better, but she still needs help here and there," Dauna pulls out her tablet and revives it from its sleeping state, "You've meet her mother before, right?"

"Yes, I have. Was a long time ago though." Marin settles herself back down into her seat, somewhere in her back there is a crack in protest. "Did the doctors get back to either of you about the results?"

"Yeah, hold on, pulling up the email," the younger woman taps around her tablet with one hand while the other taps against the table. "Got any results yourself, Ms. Asagi?"

"My doctor said it's not good, there's no chance I could carry a child anymore, even with my health as it currently is." Marin picks up the golden knife again, holding it in one hand while her hand plays with the charm hanging off the bottom. "I could be as healthy as I was in my prime, but it doesn't change the fact I can't bear anymore."

"Hm, that sucks; here we go," Dauna picks up her tablet and hands it over to Marin. A silence lingers around them as Marin reads the email off the younger woman's tablet. Dauna sat up in her seat, her fists on her legs. A goofy grin slowly crawls along her face as Marin read, a smile making its way along Marin's lips. "Congratulations, Marin, in nine months you'll have a daughter!"

"I thought you and Jess were trying for a child first," while trying to keep a straight face Marin can't hide the joy in her eyes. She puts the tablet down on the table half-way between them and clutches the golden blade and the charm in both of her hands.

"We got plenty of time, Ms. Asagi-"

"Just Marin."

"Me and Jess have plenty of time to try for a child. You've waited long enough to have one of your own, and I know how much it'd mean to you and her." She takes back her tablet, setting it to sleep mode. "Me and Jess wanted to wait until your birthday, but we were too excited to not share it."

Marin wipes away the tears brimming at the edge of her vision, her smile still very wide. "Thank you Dauna, and tell Jess 'thank you' as well. I'll thank the doctors as well, but I want to meet with them first - they did a great amount of work."

"You are to thank as well, Marin. If you hadn't pushed so hard, none of it would've been possible."

"I know, I know, but they've done all the work, and you and Jess took time out of your days to make it happen." She winds her fingers around the charm and the golden blade, pressing her fingers against the old craftsmanship. "Me and her, Moe, came up with a couple names before ... her passing. We came up with a couple names, but never got settled on which one to pick."

"So you want mine and Jess's input on them?"

"Yes."

"I'd be happy to help, Marin. What names did you two come up with."

"Erin, Euno, Mirai, Paska, and Rem."

"You both liked to keep the names short, huh.

"Yeah, that and ... well other things."

"I like Mirai the best, personally. Jess might agree with me, but I'll ask her later." The younger woman types the names up in a notepad on her phone, resting her forearms on the face of her tablet.

"Mirai, huh? She was more partial to that name, so I guess it'd be the best choice. Asagi Mirai, has a nice ring to it."

"Marin."

"Hm?"

"You haven't told me much about her - or are you still uncomfortable to talk about it?"

"No no, it's fine, Dauna," Marin resumes fiddling with the charm hanging off the golden knife. "I guess I just keep most of my thoughts to myself. There's no harm in asking."

"I can change the subject if you want -"

"No, no, it's fine." Marin leans in on the metal mesh table with the golden knife held between her hands, fingers tangled in the charm hanging off the notch. "Want to know about this too?"

"Yes! You always have it with you, I've wondered about it since we first met." Dauna scoots her chair in closer, the metal creaking against the concrete.

"It's a long story, and some parts might be hard to believe since - well, everything that happened around then." Marin begins to recount the time before Brigadoon, digging into her deepest memories about how she and Moe met, the opening of Brigadoon, and the hectic situations that followed. She skimps over the attempts on her life, the excursions into Brigadoon, and the times she nearly died to died. Even then Dauna is sitting on the edge of her seat, happily listening to the endless rambles Marin goes into about that year that changed her life forever. Marin doesn't release the knife or the charm, actually holding them tighter as time passes.

"So that's the story on the famous golden knife?"

"Yes; most people don't believe what happened that year, since it's been over fifty years ago. What do you think?"

"I think it's wonderful, Marin! To have such a tale for why it's so important to you, I can see why you always keep it around." Dauna smiles. "I'm guessing the reason why he left it with you was to keep protecting you, what was his name again?"

"Melan, Melan Blue."

"He sounds like a great man, clueless, but still great! I wish I had someone that like, or a friend like Moe, when I was your age."

"It was a completely different time back then, but yeah."

"Before Moe passed away, what was she like?"

"Oh, Dauna, I'm sure you would've liked her."

"Was she sweet?"

"Even though she was almost always sick she kept positive. When we moved into a place together, she worked as hard as she could to make things. She just lit up the room with her presence. She kept our apartment in order, and always had the best ideas on how to improve them." Marin holds up the golden knife and lets the charm dangle. "This is one of the things she made, she gave it to me on my 20th, never let it out of my sight since."

"You two really loved each other," Dauna leans onto one arm, a bright smile across her face dissolving as she thinks of what to say next - then says it. "What made her pass away, Marin?" Marin pulls the blade and charm back to herself, against her chest with one hand on the charm.

"It wasn't just one illness; she had a lot of complications, but she was able to push through most of them. Eventually... Moe just got tired of fighting them all. I know that nothing could've stopped her passing, but I'm glad of the time we spent together - her and me."

"I'm glad, Marin, that you two had so much time to spend together."

"Yeah, me too."

Dauna excuses herself to grab some lunch from the café while Marin waits. When Dauna returns they talk about other things, from the weather to their favorite currently running TV shows. Dauna explains to Marin about foreign shows she's interested in but hasn’t been subbed yet. They talk for another half-hour before either of them have to leave, giving each other long goodbyes and mentions of when to meet again.

* * *

Marin pulls her sedan up to the gate of a security checkpoint, holding out her clearance certifications out towards the guard on duty. The guard waves her through, the heavy metal door clattering along it's track into a recess on one side of the wall connected to a two-level parking garage. She doesn't have to keep driving long, pulling her vehicle into a wide spot on the end of the parking garage close to the multi-leveled facility; the signage reading 'reserved' on the part against the wall. Usually, the spot would be reserved for the handicapped - but she's to be a long time member.

She takes no time to step out of her vehicle, securing the sheath of the golden blade to her hip before slipping it in and securing the end - the ribbon and charm dangling out of the front and back. The well worn bag is dragged across the center divider and thrown over her shoulder in one motion, slamming the car door as she turns to building across the secondary parking lot. Outside of the main entrance, partly shaded by a ginkgo tree, reads the facility's name.

'International Facility of Monomakia Research'

Just as she has done a thousand times before, she crosses the parking lot while in one hand she holds her clearance certification. After a single beep from the card reader at the front door she's in, walking across the lobby fashioned to resemble pieces that fell from Brigadoon almost fifty years ago. The woman at the counter says her hellos before returning to her duties. Marin doesn't pass many people on her way through to the west wing; and the ones she do pass just give her a wave and continue on their way.

At a door with 'Level 6 Clearance' plaque, she swipes her card. A single beep.

A young man with scraggly hair and drooping eye lids looks up from his work, a clipboard with crinkled papers tucked behind one arm. "Ms Asagi! I wasn't expecting a visit from you this early." He sat up from his place on the floor, right beside a long quiet grey mass with large black spikes.

"Well, I was in the area," Marin drops her bag down near the doorway in the designated area. "Is this the Monomakia you've mentioned before - the one stuck in the mountains?" The young man rose to his knees then his feet, the clearance card hanging from the bottom of his shirt reads 'Asa Yuki'.

"Yeah. Well, one of them," Yuki returns to his work station near the door, the two separated by a short wall. "There is at least one other part that still needs to be excavated out of the mountainside. It might be another year or so until its safe enough to pull it out." Hastily he stacks up various clipboards, notebooks, and any loose papers lying around. "Of the Monomakia you encountered, is this one of them?"

"No, or I can't be certain. Has the lab done tests on the genetic material?"

"Yes! Hold on," Yuki shuffles through his mounting stacks of information, looking for a mostly uncrumpled piece of paper. "Here's the initial findings. They're still going through all the information, but this is some straight up information they've gotten from the Monomakia itself." He hands the paper over to Marin as he passes by her, moving over to the carcass of the long dead Monomakia. "They think it's related to another one - found on the mountains entangled in old electricity cables."

"I remember that one," Marin bites at her thumb as she reads through the small report. One line sticks with her when she's done, 'Foreign genetic material found on the spikes on the persumed underside of the Monomakia is of an undetermined origin compared to the main body, but further tests are still to be done.'

"I wondered how it worked, or what it was for; any ideas, Ms Asagi?"

"Probably same as the others, either that or modified from the original purpose."

"Mh, possibly."

"The paper says there is foreign genetic material on the spikes. Any chance they can be inspected further?"

"Certainly! If they find anything I'll tell you as soon as possible."

Marin only nods and drops the paper onto Yuki's desk as she leaves, taking one last look at the disk-shaped Monomakia carcass laid out on a pallet made of metal and the spikes with a faint tint on the ends. She's quiet on her way out of the facility, stopping just near the threshold of the front door before turning heel and walking back to Yuki's workspace.

She forgot her bag.

Yuki jeers at her playfully when she comes back for her bag, and then he returns to his work on the remains of the unnamed Monomakia.

With the retrieval of her bag she makes her way back to her sedan, dropping her bag in the passenger seat and removing the sheath from her belt. She doesn't turn her car on after shutting the door, letting herself lean back in the driver's seat with her arms crossed over her face. She's got enough on her plate as it is already, she doesn't need to spearhead another major international project for personal reasons; she tells herself. After a few minutes with the radio blaring on a chirping pop station, she finally drives out of the parking lot and the facility grounds, singing to herself along with the radio.

* * *

The next stop before returning home is further down the coastline. Just as she's done several times before she weaves in and out of the direct route, giving herself time to take different scenic routes. A couple times she finds herself higher in the mountains, slowing to look out to the sea before driving down again. The golden knife sits in her lap as she drives, lying a hand down along the blade and the charm when she can, usually when she's hit an area she is comfortable driving with one hand on the wheel.

The clock on the radio flashes 17:24.

At 17:57 she puts her sedan into park.

Marin fixes the sheath to her side and the blade into the sheath. She leaves her bag in the car, only shoving it beneath the passenger's seat for precautions sake - and pops the trunk. A clunk in the end of the car sounds; Marin closes and locks the doors with a small remote - two sets of clunks sound from inside the frame. She tucks the keychain into an inner pocket of her jacket and walks to the back of the sedan. Inside the trunk was a few items: an assortment of tote bags she used every once in a while, a case stuffed into the side with a red cross on it, a bag of spare towels, and a pair of gift bags.

With the pair of gift bags hanging from one hand she starts towards the front door of single story condo. Two large pots sat near the front door, one sporting a single flowering bush while the other held a tight mix of different plants - only way she could tell was because almost all of them had different leaves, then she knocks.

"One minute," calls a woman inside.

Marin steps back from the door, standing off opposite of the two heavy pots. As she waits she looks to the sky, watching the puffs of orange clouds melt into one another against the deep blue sky. Clearly she can see one small puff entangle itself with a larger cloud, the wisps pulling away from the larger one to the smaller one.

The door latch clicks and quietly creaks open. "Oh," on the other side of the door was a woman with a cane in one hand, "good evening Marin." Her greying hair sits in a puff along her shoulders, her mismatched tank-top and long skirt stained with soil.

"I wanted to check on you before I leave, Sensei."

Midori sighs and waves her in, shaking her head. "So you just wanted to see if I was doing fine then? Geez, Marin, patronizing much."

"Oh, no no no," Marin laughs, putting the gifts bags onto the low table in the middle of the front room. "I had some things to give you before I leave. They can't hang around in my car anymore than they've already had." She sits down on the floor, her legs to one side, and hands one bag over to Midori who's sitting on the couch.

"Do I have to guess at it this time or am I free to just pull it out."

"The latter, built myself up as much as it is." Marin grins for a moment, setting herself against the table with crossed arms. A low 'okay then' comes from Midori before setting it down on her lap and reaching in. For a moment a look of confusion crosses her old features before lighting up with a smile.

"You didn't."

"Yes I did." 

From the gift bag Midori pulls out a figure that sat rolled up in a wrap of tissue paper. The bright grin on Midori's face was enough to get Marin to start stupidly grinning, holding up the second gift bag to the chattering Midori, too enamored by the expensive and beautiful gift that came from the first bag. From the second gift bag is another figure that matches the style of the first. For a few seconds Midori looses herself in playing with the two of them, the articulation in both of them far beyond her original expectations. "Will you stay for dinner, Marin?"

"I wish I could, Sensei, I need to get back home to be ready for the flight."

"Just a little longer? We haven't caught up recently."

"I've just been so busy lately."

"How are Dauna and Jess? Got anything new going on?"

"They're expecting, but it's not what I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, at first they were going to try for an artificial insemination, with both of their genetic material. But - well - turns out they changed their plans halfway through"

"And?"

"This is, a bit weird to say." Marin bites at her lip. "They did the artificial insemination, but with mine and Moe's genetic material instead."

"That's great news! Any ideas on names?"

"Me and Dauna talked about it for a bit, we settled on Mirai for now - Jess still needs some input." Marin looks at the clock then back to Midori. "It's getting late, I need to get going."

"Hold on." Midori forces herself up with the help of her cane, "I've had something sitting around for a while - I was suppose to give it to you before but lost track of it when I moved." While Midori hobbles into the next room Marin waits, going over what it could be. All around the front room was shelves and assorted pots, some with labels and other without, all holding plants of various kinds. Near the kitchen she can make out on one of the pots 'Spring Onion', several shoots sticking out of flopping over the sides.

Midori comes back with a box well bound by packaging tape. She doesn't hesitate to give it to Marin. "I think you'll like it, since it's so hard to find a gift you like."

"Am I really that hard to buy a gift for?"

"Yes."

Marin rolls her eyes and takes the box, tucking it into her jacket. "I'll open it later."

"Just don't forget to tell me what you think when you come back home."

"I won't, Sensei," Marin pulls Midori into a hug, who gives her a tighter bear hug. "Ow."

"My legs aren't attached to my arms, Marin." Midori pats Marin on the back as she stretches out her back. "Take care."

"Yeah, seeya Sensei."

* * *

Just as the clock on her radio hits 19:03 Marin pulls into her driveway, the gravel crackles beneath the wheels and the lights on her driveway flicker on when she's halfway into the long driveway. Marin collects her things, having put the box Midori gave her into her bag along with her keychain, digging one hand in to click the lock on her car's remote. She checks the front door's handle, jiggles it before pulling out the keys to the house.

The inside is simple, a few things here and there, just enough to make it feel like a home. She bypasses the archway to the kitchen and heads up the stairs to the master bedroom. If she's still hungry in the morning, she'll just get something on the way to the airport.

On the bed sat a pair of luggage bags, one filled to the brim with clothing and spare shoes. The other was partly empty - a stack of binders sitting beside it. A seal sat on the front of the binders and she covers them with her bag, digging in for the box Midori gave her among the thin binders that sat along the edges. Marin brushes away the binders and her bag from one spot of the bed to another, settling herself down on the empty spot until she's comfortable. With her keychain she tears at tape until it snaps, jagged edges of tape sticking to each other haphazardly. Inside the tape-bound box was slightly smaller box wrapped in a single layer of bubble tape. On top was a short note.

'Took forever to find it,  
but here it is!  
Hope you like it.'

Marin drops the note off to a side while still staring at the content of the box. For a moment she does nothing, then pulls out the bubble wrapped box and carefully tears away the wrapping. For all she knows it could be anything. The second box only had a single trail of tape on one side where it held down a tab. As before she's careful to tear away the bindings and opens the box.

At first she can't see much since there was another mass of bubble wrap inside.

Could it be a practical joke?

Then she makes out a dull golden sheen inside the bubble wrapping. Removing the wrapping and item from the boxes she lays it down on her out stretched lap. Again she pulls one of her many keys across the tape that held the wrapping close and unrolls the item out.

A piece of a blade; the surface horribly scratched up with discolored marks along the edges. The golden sheen that once was like the one at her hip was lost a long time ago, maybe even with the help of being buried for so long. A crack of a grin turns into a smile.


End file.
